CUUB Study Hall

Study Hall
By: Loyola Rankin

At 7:40 p.m. Farrend Hall is in a fury as students rush to get to study hall. The halls are filled with teenagers talking quickly so they could finish up the last of their story of what they did during free time. Five minutes later the once echoing halls are silent, filled with the ghosts of memories. Now the sound of young voices is coming from three of Farrend’s study rooms: Renolds, McColon and “The Pool Room. Renolds is abundant with rising sophomores, while McColon’s students are approaching” an important year as juniors and The Pool Room contains the future seniors in the fall.

CU Upward bound’s mandatory study hall gets mixed reviews, but all seem to agree that it is helpful to students. To have time set aside to do homework is a good habit that may carry on with students into college. Time management is one issue most have to deal with when achieving a higher education.
Jessica Becenti, 17, tests this by hurriedly working on her Journalism homework during the last hour of study hall. She seems frustrated because after she completes this assignment, she still has Calculus and Physics homework due the next day to finish. She could barely take her eyes off the screen of the laptop loaned to her by a friend. Becenti says going to the computer lab in Willard took too much time out of the two hours that study hall runs for. Citing her heavy workload, she says sometimes two hours is not enough time to finish all her assignments.

“It’s study hall’s fault that I have to skip breakfast because there’s not enough time to get my homework done,” Becenti says.

Jennifer Raines, an instructor’s assistant, agrees with Becenti, “A student could spend two hours on math but would not be able to get their other assignments done,” she says.

Since Instructors only have to attend study hall once a week and Instructor’s Assistants three times a week, an option she offers would be to have some Instructors come to help students during their free time. Raines admitted sometimes she is caught with no one to help. During this time, she will work on her grading or go to the other study rooms to see if anyone there might need her help. Since she helps in Research and Writing, College Preparatory, Biology and Art, Raines is hardly caught with nothing to do or no one to help.
Raelene Manuelito, a first year at the program, sees it differently. While she says the computer lab in Willard was a real help to students when Instructors wanted their assignments typed, she mostly finds study hall boring. Manuelito offers the suggestion that, in the rarity, students who do not have homework should not be made to go to study hall. However, other participants in the program note that first years have a less work load then the other students.

For Research and Writing and College Preparatory Instructor Lori Fields, study hall serves more than an academic purpose, providing her with the opportunity to talk to students and get to know them better. Beyond offering them help in their classes, she also uses study hall to connect with students as a peer. When with students during study hall, Fields talks of her experiences in college, assignments, the program, and the students’ future goals, dreams and plans.

“(It’s) Good because it’s the only time people are there to help students individually.” Fields says for the first three weeks of the program she goes to Study hall once a week but for the last three weeks she may be see in Study hall two or three times a week.

Although study hall is an academic exercise, it also has disciplinary uses. If a minor rule is broken, such as not wearing the programs red shirts on field trips, signing-in late for meals, entering the dorms before designated times, having lights on after “lights out,” etc, the rule breaker is put into extra study hall. Depending on the seriousness of the broken rule, a student could lose one hour of their free time or both hours. Some students say they take into consideration extra study hall before breaking any rule. Not only can one get extra study hall for discipline but also for academic reasons. If a student’s Instructor feels that a student deserves it or their grades are low, that student gets extra study hall.

Nic Benally, 16, has split feelings for study hall and extra study hall. Benally says study hall is good because students can get work done with the time set aside.

While he finds study hall helpful, Benally says he believes the time would be more effective if more help from the resident advisors was available.

“They’re not being good mentors for the students because they’re not helping students with their homework,” he says. “They’re not using their knowledge that they’ve obtained through college and high school. They’re texting or on their phones or talking to other RAs.”

However, Benally feels extra study hall students cannot get help with their work because there is no talking allowed and the Instructors or the Instructor’s Assistants are not there to help. He says he does not have the self-discipline to continue putting aside two hours in the fall for homework because he has a car and he would be hanging out with friends instead.

CU Upward Bound Director David Sanders feels study hall is necessary. He says that students would not be willing to sacrifice their own time to work on their assignments. The program, according to Sanders, is giving students the space to make their own small choices and see the result of those choices. By teaching these “life lessons,” students can become better prepared for college life, where they will not have anyone telling them to finish their homework or to get enough rest for the next day. One bad choice is built upon by many more bad choices, Sanders claims, and personal sacrifice is what is needed to correct these choices.

“Ultimately, it’s the students responsibility to have a positive experience with learning…” Sanders asks “Are you disciplined enough to do what needs to be done?”